The Arrival 
Ash 56th, 121 AoS
"Rickter!" A gentle kick of the toes had nudged him at the left heel as he stirred from the movement, his blue eyes opening once more to the hall that he sat in with the door to the infirmary directly in front of them. Hannah stood next to the sofa he had nested on as he had waited, for the coming arrival of two babies had been expected over the next twenty-four hours. The staff of the infirmary were determined to keep Telion on bedrest well into Ash, and the closer it seemed that she was due for labor the more tense Rickter found himself as of late. "It's happening! Now!" The rogue called out to him with her arms crossed over her leather jacket, her eyes glinting at the sight of him as the wolf himself finally stretched. He had worn his casual wear, the usual white shirt with a pair of baggy slacks as he shifted.
With a big hefty yawn, he looked out the window behind him for a moment, and waiting to greet him was the sight of the moonlit Cloudhaven District. It was very late from the looks of it as the lanterns were all lit, and nobody but the Sky Guard patrolled the streets outside from beyond the Winter Palace. Further below he could see the lower reaches of Kalzasi, therefore, the wolf's eyes shifted back toward the closed doors that were before them. Telion was in labor now? He had only shut his eyes not a moment ago, and yet when he thought back on what he saw or dreamt his heart clenched.
What was that just now? He briefly pondered before he rose onto his feet from the sofa, his eyes moving toward Hannah before they gazed past her. The halls were lit unlike in his dream, so it couldn't have been nothing more than that no? Hannah furrowed her eyebrows to him, her hands rested on hips sharply as she strutted back into his line of sight. "Come on Rickter! This is probably the biggest moment of your life right now, so how about you get in there and witness the miracle of birth!" Hannah's jokes would've normally humored him at least a little, still, Rickter could only swallow hard as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What of the others? Talon? Aoren? Are they awake?" The wolf inquired as he looked back down to Hannah momentarily, before his eyes went to the door in a suspecting manner.
"I haven't seen to them yet, you were the first I wanted to alarm; since she is your beloved after all." There came a poke at his chest as he looked back down to the rogue, a soft groan made to her as he looked back to the door yet again. Beyond that threshold Telion was likely giving birth right now... And Rickter couldn't help but feel his feet freeze in place for a moment. Thankfully not literally as the manifestation of ice would've been awkward, though, that didn't mean he was filled with a shared sense of excitement as well.
"Alright," he responded to her, "I'll sit with Telion while you let the others know." He was after all her guardian just as much as he was Talon's, all that and more when you looked at the bigger picture. With a more approving smirk, Hannah turned to strut off down the hall, leaving Rickter to stand at the doorway as he held a hand near the knob. I know that we've prepared for this from the moment Ash began. Thinking back he remembered the regular visits and check-ups, the number of times he had to make sure Telion didn't overdo herself wandering Kalzasi... When they were certain she was close to her due date, the staff went so far as to make sure the healer had an abundance of bedrest. Carrying twins after all wasn't easy for the body, even if Telion insisted that she had been fine the entire time. Hannah who normally stayed in Rickter's previous abode had stuck around for the past few nights, adding in the anticipation of what would be a growing family.
Thinking about how stir crazy she had been, he couldn't help but wonder now if this meant something. This moment right now, as he stood at the precipice of change once more. What awaited him beyond the door? As his ears picked up the sharp breathing and exhales that were made, and the voices of the doctors and nurses tending to her, Rickter's hand finally grasped the handle to the door firmly. Was that dream of his a sign? A warning? He didn't know. All Rickter knew was that when he twisted the handle and opened the door, he was ready to rush toward his beloved's side as her labor pains became more apparent.
The afterthought of that d̷̙́̚͝r̴̛̹̀e̶͓̻͖̾̽̓å̴͔̳͝m̸̺̲̭͂͝ still fresh in his mind.
Í̶͙̺̂n̸̖̭̊͐ ̸̨̲͝t̵͕̆͠h̶͕̻̅é̵͉͝ ̴͔͂w̶̪̜̌a̸̡͔͝k̷̢͖̈e̸͒ͅ ̵̧̦̿͌o̸̹̩̒f̸̩̰̓ ̵͈͊t̴̢̖̿h̷̰̓e̴̯̾̐͜ ̵̨͈͑p̴̛͎̾l̴̨̈́ạ̷͈̌͊g̶̩͋͠ͅu̴̫͒̏e̶̡̗͌̂ ̵̦͎̓̄ț̴̇̇h̵̩̮̋͒ā̶̝t̵̻̄ ̵̱̤̓s̵̗̏t̶̼̎́r̴̤͐ů̷̯̱̇c̴̳̊͐k̷͎͕̃ ̶͓̄̾L̴̹͖̎o̸̼͛̊r̸͉͈̐̄a̴̮̓̂s̴̹̉ many fell ill and had to be quarantined, and of those many, the one person who remained his beloved had suffered the same affliction in turn. The wolf held in the nook of his arms the swaddled babe that had been their firstborn, as his sullen eyes watched the child sleep soundly in his arms, bringing a small sense of ease and comfort where none might have been found. The condition of his wife hadn't improved since she'd fallen ill, and as he sat there, watching, Rickter couldn't help but pray to the gods themselves for a hopeful outcome.
"Rick?..." Her voice pulled him from his thoughts as the wolf looked from the child, to the brunette who had always stayed by Telion's side since Rickter first met them. "... She's asking for you." Him? It was only natural that she would, or so he guessed, after being together for nearly two years now... The wolf had always been a source of strength and comfort for the bard, but now, now that strength felt fleeting since they feared what was to come. What seemed inevitable to come.
He looked out the window from where he sat in the foyer, desperately searching for a sign that something would turn out okay, only to see the street outside lined with bodies of those already passed from the illness. Pretty soon, they would be collected and then burned in a pyre, to both minimize the spread of disease and carry on the traditions of sending off the dead. "...Hold him for me?" He requested the rogue as he could see the tears behind her eyes, the brunette quietly nodding to agree before she reached out to take the child. Rickter gave her the time she needed to make sure Hannah held the boy comfortably in her arms, and then when she was ready, he finally turned to move toward the door where they kept Telion quarantined.
He entered a room within the estate that had been turned into a quarantine chamber, with beddings situated and closed off by curtains and rods for those who had been sick. The wolf hadn't forgotten where it was he would find his beloved, although, he dreaded the moments that were soon to come. Once he found the quarters she rested in, Rickter drew the curtain behind him to a close, and quietly approached the bed that Telion laid within. Her skin remained pale, her eyes dark while the sheen of sweat could be seen across her forehead. Her brilliant rich yellow hair dampened, she looked to be suffering the worst of whatever affliction this plague had wrought.
"Ri... Rickter." She sounded hoarse as though her throat were dry, and in a moment of concern he looked over to the bedside table. A pitcher rested there with an empty cup, to which, he quickly filled so that he might ease the dryness she felt. "Ri..."
"Sshh... I'm here, love." He was here. For her. But heaven forbid if her fever wouldn't break soon, and the wolf hadn't the slightest clue how to help cool her down either. Seeing her suffer in such a way nearly broke his spirit as it were, however, he remained strong with the hope that things would turn out for the better. "I'm here." Moving to help lift her upper body he could tell she was weak, her spirit heavily drained by the sickness which had taken its toll on her. She sipped softly from the cup he lifted to her lips, letting the tilted container linger there until she seemed to stop and had enough.
"How is he?..." She meagerly inquired once he pulled the cup from her lips, the wolf placing the container back down before gently lowering her back onto the pillows.
"Asleep. But he misses you..." He assured her with the barest hint of a smile, almost relieved to see the faint smile that almost tugged at the corner of her lips. "Just please... Keep resting love... You'll grow better if you just hold on through the night." He hoped, rather prayed, as he looked somberly down at her, while the sickly woman meagerly lifted her hand to brush against the scruff of his jaw.
"I know..." Yet there was no confidence in her tone at all, just sheer exhaustion from the pain she'd endured. "Even if... I don't though, I just want you to know..."
"Telion..." The wolf's voice cracked a moment. "Please."
"That I love you..." The bard finished, somehow still with adoration within her weary eyes. "No matter what you may think... You were always the best thing..." Her hand started to waver and the wolf caught it desperately, only suddenly now realizing just how cold and clammy she really felt. "Take... good care..."
"Telion?! Telion!!" He muttered aloud with his other hand gently pressed on her cheek, as her breathing grew quieter with each passing second. "No... No please..."
"T̷̤̈̕͝e̶̞̤̲͑̾l̴̩̕ị̸̝̖̂o̴̟̫̓̎̋n̶̹̼͊̊͠!̷͎̉̉́͜"
Though the memory of that dream haunted him enough to fear for his beloved, what transpired soon after he went in led to a rather rapid delivery of two healthy baby boys. Twins as the doctor and nurses had mentioned before, when it had been determined by Semblers a few months prior. Rested in the bedding with one of the children in her arms, Telion looked down at the brown-haired boy which she held fondly.
And seated next to her at the other end of the bed was the father himself. Truthfully, Rickter had never felt such joy in his life, with the relief of knowing that his beloved wasn't at risk from the labor. Whether the dream indicated anything or not, be it an ill omen or warning, he didn't dare to entertain the notion at all. Because all he knew, in that exact moment, was that he was with the very people that he loved. The woman who had won his heart, carried his children, and brought such meaning into his life still drew breath; and the wolf's very own pack had grown by two.
"I've never seen you smile so much." The mother teased quietly when the father continued to watch the blonde-haired babe sleeping in his arms. He'd been such a nervous wreck when he first held the child, but after about ten minutes had passed, Rickter found that the boy had quickly fallen asleep in the nook of his arm.
"It's only because of you," he gently responded with a deeply affectionate look to her, "the night we met you changed everything. And I... I don't think I could ever live without you." He reflected on having remembered that dream before coming in, and the admittance of such a thing brought an astonished look from the bard. But with the knock on the door to the infirmary the parents looked over, soon to be greeted by Hannah as well as those who resided within the Palace. Staff which looked after Telion, that had helped Rickter as he adjusted to the place, people in general who wanted to come and see the new life brought into these great halls.
Before too long, the Prince and his Knight Commander would soon join them, to see the two newborns brought into the world on this evening. "Well," his beloved finally cooed with a hearty look to him, "did you ever decide on their names?" It had been a topic of discussion off an on earlier in the season, but now, knowing that they had a pair of twin boys to raise together; Rickter had to help decide on what names he and Telion had ruminated on prior to their newborns' arrival.
"I think... I have an idea." He gently admitted to her with a warm and humble grin, the mother herself smiling in the same manner as they looked upon one another fondly.
With a big hefty yawn, he looked out the window behind him for a moment, and waiting to greet him was the sight of the moonlit Cloudhaven District. It was very late from the looks of it as the lanterns were all lit, and nobody but the Sky Guard patrolled the streets outside from beyond the Winter Palace. Further below he could see the lower reaches of Kalzasi, therefore, the wolf's eyes shifted back toward the closed doors that were before them. Telion was in labor now? He had only shut his eyes not a moment ago, and yet when he thought back on what he saw or dreamt his heart clenched.
What was that just now? He briefly pondered before he rose onto his feet from the sofa, his eyes moving toward Hannah before they gazed past her. The halls were lit unlike in his dream, so it couldn't have been nothing more than that no? Hannah furrowed her eyebrows to him, her hands rested on hips sharply as she strutted back into his line of sight. "Come on Rickter! This is probably the biggest moment of your life right now, so how about you get in there and witness the miracle of birth!" Hannah's jokes would've normally humored him at least a little, still, Rickter could only swallow hard as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What of the others? Talon? Aoren? Are they awake?" The wolf inquired as he looked back down to Hannah momentarily, before his eyes went to the door in a suspecting manner.
"I haven't seen to them yet, you were the first I wanted to alarm; since she is your beloved after all." There came a poke at his chest as he looked back down to the rogue, a soft groan made to her as he looked back to the door yet again. Beyond that threshold Telion was likely giving birth right now... And Rickter couldn't help but feel his feet freeze in place for a moment. Thankfully not literally as the manifestation of ice would've been awkward, though, that didn't mean he was filled with a shared sense of excitement as well.
"Alright," he responded to her, "I'll sit with Telion while you let the others know." He was after all her guardian just as much as he was Talon's, all that and more when you looked at the bigger picture. With a more approving smirk, Hannah turned to strut off down the hall, leaving Rickter to stand at the doorway as he held a hand near the knob. I know that we've prepared for this from the moment Ash began. Thinking back he remembered the regular visits and check-ups, the number of times he had to make sure Telion didn't overdo herself wandering Kalzasi... When they were certain she was close to her due date, the staff went so far as to make sure the healer had an abundance of bedrest. Carrying twins after all wasn't easy for the body, even if Telion insisted that she had been fine the entire time. Hannah who normally stayed in Rickter's previous abode had stuck around for the past few nights, adding in the anticipation of what would be a growing family.
Thinking about how stir crazy she had been, he couldn't help but wonder now if this meant something. This moment right now, as he stood at the precipice of change once more. What awaited him beyond the door? As his ears picked up the sharp breathing and exhales that were made, and the voices of the doctors and nurses tending to her, Rickter's hand finally grasped the handle to the door firmly. Was that dream of his a sign? A warning? He didn't know. All Rickter knew was that when he twisted the handle and opened the door, he was ready to rush toward his beloved's side as her labor pains became more apparent.
The afterthought of that d̷̙́̚͝r̴̛̹̀e̶͓̻͖̾̽̓å̴͔̳͝m̸̺̲̭͂͝ still fresh in his mind.
Í̶͙̺̂n̸̖̭̊͐ ̸̨̲͝t̵͕̆͠h̶͕̻̅é̵͉͝ ̴͔͂w̶̪̜̌a̸̡͔͝k̷̢͖̈e̸͒ͅ ̵̧̦̿͌o̸̹̩̒f̸̩̰̓ ̵͈͊t̴̢̖̿h̷̰̓e̴̯̾̐͜ ̵̨͈͑p̴̛͎̾l̴̨̈́ạ̷͈̌͊g̶̩͋͠ͅu̴̫͒̏e̶̡̗͌̂ ̵̦͎̓̄ț̴̇̇h̵̩̮̋͒ā̶̝t̵̻̄ ̵̱̤̓s̵̗̏t̶̼̎́r̴̤͐ů̷̯̱̇c̴̳̊͐k̷͎͕̃ ̶͓̄̾L̴̹͖̎o̸̼͛̊r̸͉͈̐̄a̴̮̓̂s̴̹̉ many fell ill and had to be quarantined, and of those many, the one person who remained his beloved had suffered the same affliction in turn. The wolf held in the nook of his arms the swaddled babe that had been their firstborn, as his sullen eyes watched the child sleep soundly in his arms, bringing a small sense of ease and comfort where none might have been found. The condition of his wife hadn't improved since she'd fallen ill, and as he sat there, watching, Rickter couldn't help but pray to the gods themselves for a hopeful outcome.
"Rick?..." Her voice pulled him from his thoughts as the wolf looked from the child, to the brunette who had always stayed by Telion's side since Rickter first met them. "... She's asking for you." Him? It was only natural that she would, or so he guessed, after being together for nearly two years now... The wolf had always been a source of strength and comfort for the bard, but now, now that strength felt fleeting since they feared what was to come. What seemed inevitable to come.
He looked out the window from where he sat in the foyer, desperately searching for a sign that something would turn out okay, only to see the street outside lined with bodies of those already passed from the illness. Pretty soon, they would be collected and then burned in a pyre, to both minimize the spread of disease and carry on the traditions of sending off the dead. "...Hold him for me?" He requested the rogue as he could see the tears behind her eyes, the brunette quietly nodding to agree before she reached out to take the child. Rickter gave her the time she needed to make sure Hannah held the boy comfortably in her arms, and then when she was ready, he finally turned to move toward the door where they kept Telion quarantined.
He entered a room within the estate that had been turned into a quarantine chamber, with beddings situated and closed off by curtains and rods for those who had been sick. The wolf hadn't forgotten where it was he would find his beloved, although, he dreaded the moments that were soon to come. Once he found the quarters she rested in, Rickter drew the curtain behind him to a close, and quietly approached the bed that Telion laid within. Her skin remained pale, her eyes dark while the sheen of sweat could be seen across her forehead. Her brilliant rich yellow hair dampened, she looked to be suffering the worst of whatever affliction this plague had wrought.
"Ri... Rickter." She sounded hoarse as though her throat were dry, and in a moment of concern he looked over to the bedside table. A pitcher rested there with an empty cup, to which, he quickly filled so that he might ease the dryness she felt. "Ri..."
"Sshh... I'm here, love." He was here. For her. But heaven forbid if her fever wouldn't break soon, and the wolf hadn't the slightest clue how to help cool her down either. Seeing her suffer in such a way nearly broke his spirit as it were, however, he remained strong with the hope that things would turn out for the better. "I'm here." Moving to help lift her upper body he could tell she was weak, her spirit heavily drained by the sickness which had taken its toll on her. She sipped softly from the cup he lifted to her lips, letting the tilted container linger there until she seemed to stop and had enough.
"How is he?..." She meagerly inquired once he pulled the cup from her lips, the wolf placing the container back down before gently lowering her back onto the pillows.
"Asleep. But he misses you..." He assured her with the barest hint of a smile, almost relieved to see the faint smile that almost tugged at the corner of her lips. "Just please... Keep resting love... You'll grow better if you just hold on through the night." He hoped, rather prayed, as he looked somberly down at her, while the sickly woman meagerly lifted her hand to brush against the scruff of his jaw.
"I know..." Yet there was no confidence in her tone at all, just sheer exhaustion from the pain she'd endured. "Even if... I don't though, I just want you to know..."
"Telion..." The wolf's voice cracked a moment. "Please."
"That I love you..." The bard finished, somehow still with adoration within her weary eyes. "No matter what you may think... You were always the best thing..." Her hand started to waver and the wolf caught it desperately, only suddenly now realizing just how cold and clammy she really felt. "Take... good care..."
"Telion?! Telion!!" He muttered aloud with his other hand gently pressed on her cheek, as her breathing grew quieter with each passing second. "No... No please..."
"T̷̤̈̕͝e̶̞̤̲͑̾l̴̩̕ị̸̝̖̂o̴̟̫̓̎̋n̶̹̼͊̊͠!̷͎̉̉́͜"
Though the memory of that dream haunted him enough to fear for his beloved, what transpired soon after he went in led to a rather rapid delivery of two healthy baby boys. Twins as the doctor and nurses had mentioned before, when it had been determined by Semblers a few months prior. Rested in the bedding with one of the children in her arms, Telion looked down at the brown-haired boy which she held fondly.
And seated next to her at the other end of the bed was the father himself. Truthfully, Rickter had never felt such joy in his life, with the relief of knowing that his beloved wasn't at risk from the labor. Whether the dream indicated anything or not, be it an ill omen or warning, he didn't dare to entertain the notion at all. Because all he knew, in that exact moment, was that he was with the very people that he loved. The woman who had won his heart, carried his children, and brought such meaning into his life still drew breath; and the wolf's very own pack had grown by two.
"I've never seen you smile so much." The mother teased quietly when the father continued to watch the blonde-haired babe sleeping in his arms. He'd been such a nervous wreck when he first held the child, but after about ten minutes had passed, Rickter found that the boy had quickly fallen asleep in the nook of his arm.
"It's only because of you," he gently responded with a deeply affectionate look to her, "the night we met you changed everything. And I... I don't think I could ever live without you." He reflected on having remembered that dream before coming in, and the admittance of such a thing brought an astonished look from the bard. But with the knock on the door to the infirmary the parents looked over, soon to be greeted by Hannah as well as those who resided within the Palace. Staff which looked after Telion, that had helped Rickter as he adjusted to the place, people in general who wanted to come and see the new life brought into these great halls.
Before too long, the Prince and his Knight Commander would soon join them, to see the two newborns brought into the world on this evening. "Well," his beloved finally cooed with a hearty look to him, "did you ever decide on their names?" It had been a topic of discussion off an on earlier in the season, but now, knowing that they had a pair of twin boys to raise together; Rickter had to help decide on what names he and Telion had ruminated on prior to their newborns' arrival.
"I think... I have an idea." He gently admitted to her with a warm and humble grin, the mother herself smiling in the same manner as they looked upon one another fondly.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" Rickter "Telion" "Hannah"
"Rickter" Rickter "Telion" "Hannah"
"And it came to me then, that every plan... is a tiny prayer to Father Time..."
